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Article IndexReason Republican Assemblyman quietly resigned on Aug. 12
BY TOM HESTER SR.
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Patrick Delany (R-Burlington) resigned from the Assembly seat he had held only briefly earlier this month because his wife sent Democratic state Senate candidate Carl Lewis a racially-charged email, the political website PolitickerNJ.com revealed on Monday.
Delany‘s wife, Jennifer, sent Lewis the email in response to a mass e-mail from Lewis' campaign.
“Imagine, not having to pay NJ state income taxes ... It must be nice,” Jennifer Delany wrote. “Imagine getting a court ruling overturned so your name could get put on the ballot. Imagine having dark skin and name recognition and the nerve to think that equalled (sic) knowing something about politics. Sure, knowing someone with fat purse strings is nice, but you have no knowledge.”
In a statement issued shortly after the PolitickerNJ story appeared, Patrick Delany acknowledged the e-mail’s authenticity and said it was the reason he resigned.
"I am deeply disappointed in my wife's decision to send that email to Mr. Lewis' campaign; it does not reflect my personal beliefs whatsoever,” Delany said. “In an attempt to repair the serious damage this has caused to our marriage, and to protect our kids from public humiliation, I decided to leave public life. On behalf of my family, we sincerely apologize to Mr. Lewis for any pain this caused him."
RELATED:
N.J. Assemblyman Pat Delany announces resignation
Delany, 42, initially cited family reasons as his excuse for resigning. He had served in the lower house since December when the Republican Party chose him to replace Dawn Marie Addiego (R-Burlington) when she became a senator. Lewis, a Democrat, is challenging Addiego for the seat although his candidacy has been entangled in state Superior Court over the issue of whether he meets the state’s four-year residency requirement.
